Distant Love
by mochaaa
Summary: Tohru and the whole gang have finally grown up and graduated. Tohru now attends Tokyo University, but the question is where has Sohma Kyo been? He had just simply disappeared for a few months after graduation... KxT. readxreview, please & thanks FINISHED!
1. A Mystery

Summary: Tohru and the whole gang have finally grown up and graduated. Tohru now attends Tokyo University, but the question is where has Sohma Kyo been? After graduation; things changed, and he simply disappeared for a month or more. K+T. read x review, please & thanks ^_^   

NOTE: * means thoughts 

_Japanese lesson #01 xD_

_Ohayou__ – Goodmorning       _

         *_I've grown up, grown into a **woman.**_

_         Growing has** consequences **though..._

_         Growing up means having to **let go** of things_

_         and having to take in **new** things. _

_         In my case I had to let go of my **past life**. _

_         My life of living an **adventure** each day._

_         I had to let go of the life of being with a "**family"**..._

_         Now I am sitting here in my room, _

_         wondering if I will ever get that life **back.**_

_         I know in my heart that I may **never** get it back... _

_         but I still** hope** because those years _

_        were the **best** years of my** life**. _

_         ...Now they are just **old** **memories...***_

**ch001 - [A Mystery] **

     The long hand of the clock hanging off the all of the classroom finally hit the 12, causing the bell to ring throughout the room. The rustling of papers and chairs being scraped back spread throughout the room, and in less then ten seconds the room was completely empty. Tohru squeezed through the growing crowd and found her friends Uotani and Hanajima leaning against a wall outside of her classroom, waiting for her to come out. 

"Uo-chan! Hana-chan! Ohayouu!" 

cried out Tohru happily when she finally reached them.

"How was class today?" 

asked Uo curiously as they began to walk Tohru back to her dorm. Tohru bit her bottom lip and racked her brain for any interesting thoughts, but couldn't really come up with any so she said,

"Ahh, same as ever, nothing interesting happened or anything like that."

_*Not like before..*._

"Well today in class I took an exam and got a D+," 

said Hanajima monotonously. Tohru and Uo looked at each other and gave her the thumbs up while laughing nervously, thinking in their heads that a D+ was not exactly **good.**

"Hey, aren't you guys glad that today is the last day of classes for a whole entire **month?** I can't wait for the freedom!"

exclaimed Uo happily while she stretched her arms out and blew out a deep breath at the same time. 

"Are you going to go back to the Sohmas?"

asked Hanajima, facing Tohru,

"Ahh...Yes, I am and I feel very excited,"

said Tohru with a nostalgic smile on her face,

_*Maybe I'll see you...*_

"I'm glad,"

replied Uo and then her eyes brightened up,

"Oh! Hey that reminds me, what exactly is happening with you and the** Prince** lately? You guys have been very buddy-buddy," 

said Uo with a teasing smile as she poked Tohru playfully on the shoulder,

"EH??"

cried out Tohru, her whole face heated up and turned red,

"No, no, no! You misunderstand! Me and Sohma-kun are just **friends**! I mean... we've hung out a couple of times, but I just don't see him in **that way**."

"Whatever you say Tohru,"

said Uo with a playful shrug, not really believing Tohru was telling the complete truth. When they finally reached Tohru's dorm they all said their goodbyes and departed to their own rooms. Tohru entered her room and closed the door behind her. Her thoughts were suddenly all jumbled up for some reason. In **two days** she was going to be back to the Sohma's household she was partly excited but partly nervous as well. What would it be like to be back in a place that she hadn't been in for a long time? Would she be welcomed with open arms? But most importantly, would he be there? 

_*I miss him...I want to see his face again, hear his thoughts again, even hear his complaints. I just want to hear it all..*._

After graduation Kyo had mysteriously disappeared without a word and that had worried Tohru a great deal. When she asked Shigure where he was he would just get this look on his face and then look away. She had worried about him throughout the summertime and even now, but whenever bad thoughts about him came up into her mind she would constantly say to herself that he was probably off training in the mountains or doing something connected with martial arts. However, deep down in her heart she always had this sinking feeling that he might not be in training. The part that hurt the most though, was that he hadn't even said one word to anyone before he left. Not even a proper goodbye, he had just simply vanished. She thought they were friends... 

Tohru sighed and leaned against the wall, lightly banging her head on the wall. She then shook her head furiously and squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of Kyo caused too much pain. She opened up her eyes and looked at her empty open suitcase lying on the ground so she decided that maybe packing some of her clothes would get her mind off of the pain and onto some more **positive thoughts** instead. After all she was a true optimist.

The sun rose bright and early and ribbons of sunshine wrapped around the city, waking Tohru up. She opened her eyes groggily and slipped out of bed. She then did her daily morning routine and then went outside her dorm to meet with her friends, she and her friends had decided to hang out with each other on that particular Saturday morning. She knocked on Uo's dorm at around 10:45am and the door opened seconds later. 

"Ohayou, Tohru! Oh! I have **big news** for you, come in, come in,"

Uo was so excited as she ushered a confused Tohru into her room. Hana was sitting on the floor as well, and watched Uo as she cleared her throat. 

"What is the big news, guys?"

asked Tohru curiously as she looked back and forth at both of them. Uo looked up at the ceiling with a devilish grin on her face then said, 

"Weeeelll... I kinda fixed you up with someone last night. He's a friend of mine and his name is Shinjiru Souske..."

Uo saw Tohru's mouth open a little and held up her hands in defense and said quickly,

"Before you say anything, I just have to say that he is a **really** nice guy, and he's tall, handsome, and of course, single! Isn't this great news?"

Tohru's mouth was wide open by now and she lost her voice for a second; when it came back she said incredulously, 

"B-but I don't even know this guy! This is crazy Uo-chan!"

Uo bit her bottom lip and debated,

"But Tohru-chan, this is your **chance**. Your chance to finally meet the man of your **dreams!** I mean, you and the prince are just "friends" right? ...So, c'mon Tohru, me and Hana just wanna see you **happy**. And don't you worry about him not liking you because you are by far the greatest person that ever walked on earth....so whaddya say Tohru, will you meet him? Please?" 

Uo looked at her with puppy dog eyes and pouted, making Tohru bow her head down. She knew that she couldn't refuse or she would hurt Uo's and Hana's feelings so she said with defeat,

"Allright, I'll meet with him tonight." 

"Great! Meet him at the Sushi bar on 57th at 9:30pm okay?"

exclaimed Uo happily while clapping her hands together with triumph.

After a few hours of hanging out with Uo and Hana, she was back in her room actually feeling a little **excited** about her date with this Souske character. She hugged her pillow to her chest and after a while of thinking she decided that maybe she should go out and buy some clothing for this **big date**. After all she really **hadn't** gone out on a date with anyone since the beginning of college, she really didn't know why. She got up and put on her jacket, then grabbed her umbrella in the meantime because she had remembered hearing on the radio that there was going to be a rainstorm later that night. 

It was 7pm and Tohru was holding two bags of clothing and an umbrella over her head, feeling pretty satisfied that she was actually going to maybe look **nice** for this thing going on tonight. She was actually humming a little song because she was feeling so happy. But, her thoughts of her date all went down the drain when she saw a familiar figure leaning on a nearby brick wall....

It was Akito.  

Reviews would be super nice, please ^___^ 

THANKS 

Dooon't worry, Kyo will make his appearance in the next chappie, hehs. :]

-mochaaa


	2. It's You

**Author's Note - Thank you for the reviews, it was really nice and ... thanks :] 3**

**ch002 - [ It's You ]**

_Japanese lesson #2  _

_Daijobu__ - Are you allright? _

_Konnichiwa - Hello, how are you? ;]_

       The bags that she was currently holding nearly dropped out of her hands, but she gripped onto them tightly with her last bits of strength and said in her most polite voice,

"Ahh, Konnichiwa Akito-san."

She did a little bow and then glanced up to see him looking straight at her with his piercing eyes and a small smile playing on his lips. He then asked her,

"Tohru, I just wanted to know... Do you ever think about Kyo-kun?"

He started to advance towards her, slowly. Tohru gasped and gripped her bags even tighter and couldn't contain her excitement,

"You know where he is?! Oh, please if you could...could you please tell me?!" 

Akito placed a cold hand onto her pale cheek, making her shiver, and then he whispered into her ear,

"I can guarantee you that you will be seeing him soon, Tohru-kun."

He flashed her a creepy smile and then walked away from her, in the pouring rain. She watched him with awe and confusion as he grew farther and farther from her. Before she knew what she was doing she started to run back home with all her things and she didn't stop running until she reached the inside of her dorm. Once she had shut the door and locked it, she slid down the door and onto the floor, covering her hands over her face. The emotions inside of her were piling high and she didn't know what to do with the emotions.

_*Will I see you? What is happening? What did he mean?!*_

After a few minutes of just thinking and deep breaths she glanced at the clock and saw that it was 7:30pm so she still had plenty of time to get ready. She carefully put on her new dress that she had bought and admired her new look in the mirror, slowly forgetting the things that Akito had just said to her. Tohru did her hair carefully and looked at the clock again, this time it read 8:00pm. She still had an hour and half to kill so she decided to just get there early because she knew she couldn't sit in her dorm and microscope every detail about what Akito had said to her earlier. She sighed and grabbed her umbrella and then went back outside. While on her way she saw a sight that made her drop her umbrella in shock.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyo staggered through the streets, his vision was a little blurry and he felt like he was about to collapse any moment now. He held onto a streetlight for support and watched as the cars zoomed past with a blur. He felt his body go limp all the sudden but he thought of Tohru's face and that gave him the strenght to stumble across the street, not noticing the car heading straight for him. It was a good thing that the car stopped right smack in front of him, making Kyo stumble backwards and fall onto the ground. The rain was pouring hard and he could barely think anymore, his head was spinning, but a certain something made him stay awake. A certain someone, and she was standing right on the other side of the street. She had just dropped her pink umbrella and getting completely drenched from head to toe. She ran to him, alarmed, and the driver sped away in panic, worried that he might have hit the boy. 

"Kyo-kun! Kyo-kun! Daijobu?!"

Kyo weakly looked at her panicky face and smiled a small smile as she lifted his head off of the wet pavement of the street. 

_*No matter how hard times get... you always seem to lighten things up. How do you do it?*_

He shakily lifted his left arm and touched her face gently, and whispered out her name weakly,

"Toh...r..u..."

Tohru's eyes widened and tears began to pour down her eyes,

"Kyo-kun... I'm going to bring you back to my dorm, right now. Everything will be alright." 

Tohru helped him up and ignored the comments of passing people. She helped him walk the short way back to her dorm in silence. When she tiredly laid him on her bed he was breathing heavily, but looked a little better then he had before. She hurried into the bathroom and got out a lot of towels and wrapped it around a shivering Kyo. 

"Kyo-kun... you're going to need new clothes...I don't want you to catch a cold."

Kyo looked into her eyes and her heart suddenly felt like it had been set on fire, it had been so long since she had looked into those intense eyes that he had. She missed these moments that they used to share. He then gave her his signature scowl and said in an angered tone, 

"Dammit... What about you? You're going to catch something too, so just don't be worrying about me, i'll be fine." 

"No, no, I'm fine! I have extra clothing but you don't, so you will have to take off those wet ones and let me dry them before you catch pneumonia or something worse."

Tohru's face reddened and she started to stutter as she formed the next fews words, 

"Ahh....umm...you can wrap this towel around yourself after you are...umm... y-you know... um... not clothed," 

her face was completely red and the words that had just come out of her mouth made Kyo flustered as well.

"Thanks..." 

He muttered and looked away from her eyes, feeling extremely embarrassed. She went into the bathroom and changed into normal attire and went back into her room to see that he was completely naked except for a towel covering his private area. She turned tomato red, but then her eye suddenly caught on a few scars on his body that quickly replaced the embarrassment with concern. She gasped and rushed towards him with panic written all over her face.

"Kyo-kun! You're hurt!"

She sat down beside him and immediately felt the heat of his body warm her. She gulped and slowly placed a fingertip on his chest, outlining the scar that was imprinted on it. Her breath was caught in her throat and her heart was pounding so loudly, she was sure that he could hear it. He suddenly caught her hand by the wrist and gently lifted it away from his body and said,

"Don't..."

She nodded silently and took her hand away, then looked shyly up into his crimson eyes and got lost in his stare. Her heart couldn't stop skipping beats and her palms were getting extremely sweaty. This was the kind of effect that Kyo had on her. 

He couldn't tear his eyes from hers, he had missed her so much. He had missed watching her cheeks turn pink whenever she was embarrassed, and the way her hair fell gently around her oval shaped face, and the way that her eyes were still the same amazing shade of cocoa brown. She really hadn't changed from the way she was before, if it was possible she might've grown even more beautiful. 

He was still feeling really woozy and felt that he had no control over himself, his heart was winning over his brain. He gulped from all the feelings that wanted to spill out, seeing her made him just want to grab her and kiss her. He lifted an uncontrollable hand to her face and brushed away a strand of honey colored hair from her face. She shivered from his gentle touch and closed her eyes as his fingertips caressed the side of her cheek, then he whispered her name out softly. Suddenly in an instant the warmth of his touch was gone and she gasped as she saw him faint onto the bed. Tohru positioned him to the center of the bed and carefully wrapped a warm blanket around him. She glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9:20pm, and she still had a date to attend to, but now she knew she couldn't possibly go with Kyo here. She didn't want to hurt the guy's feelings, but she couldn't leave Kyo's side either. She decided to call the guy up and postpone the date so that she didn't have to stand him up and hurt his feelings. She picked up the phone and dialed his cell phone number, after about two rings he picked up.

"Hello?"

"Ahh, Hello, this is Honda Tohru, and I'm terribly sorry to tell you this... but would it be okay if we postpone the date to tomorrow night instead? I'm just not ready today and all... and umm...an emergency came up... is that all right with you?" 

"Oh! Of course, I was still in the house anyway, no big problem...well i'll see you tomorrow night at the same place...maybe 7pm?"

"Yea, that sounds good, and thank you so much for understanding,"

"No problem... good night Honda-san,"

"Good night,"

she said softly and hung up the phone with a little feeling of relief filling her body. She turned around and looked at Kyo sleeping peacefully on her bed and felt her heart warm. She still couldn't believe that this was happening, she still couldn't believe that he was finally here and so close to her. It felt so...familiar, and so nice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_If tomorrow never comes_

_I would want just one thing_

_I would tell it to the stars and the sun_

_I would write it for the world to see_

_And it's you_

_The light changes when you're in the room_

_Oh it's you_

_Oh it's you_

_If tomorrow never comes_

_I would want just one wish_

_To kiss your quiet mouth_

_And trace the steps with my finger tips_

_And it's you_

_The light changes when you're in the room_

_Oh it's you..._

-Michelle Branch - It's You

**Reviews pleasee , hehes ^___^ thanks**

****


	3. Welcome Back

Author's Note: I just wanna thanks again for the reviews :) I'm so happy about them. Well anyways, enjoy the next chapter ;]

**ch003 - [Welcome Back]**

_Japanese lesson #03 _

_Arigatou__ - Thank you_

_baka__ - idiot_

_Okairii__ - Welcome back_

     Kyo woke up and found himself wrapped up in a cozy blanket. He smiled when thoughts of the night before with Tohru came into his mind. He swung his feet over the side of the bed and got out of the bed just in time to see Tohru walk out of the bathroom with his now dry clothes. 

"Oh! Ohayou Kyo-kun, you're awake."

She flashed him a smile and handed him his clothing and then turned around while he put them on quickly. When he finished changing she turned around and they just looked at each other for a moment, blushing. Kyo finally spoke up and asked,

"Um... Tohru? Are you going back home?"

Tohru nodded and held up two suitcases with her things inside. 

"I'm all set, so I guess we can get going home now." 

Kyo nodded and then they both headed out of the dorm, together.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

After about an hour bus ride back home Kyo rushed into the bathroom and took a nice hot shower while Tohru unpacked her things. She wondered where Shigure was, she missed him too. She suddenly felt herself smiling for no reason at all; it just felt good to be home again. After about fifteen minutes Kyo got out of the bathroom with fresh, clean clothing and he spotted Tohru folding her clothing and sat down next to her, startling her a little bit. 

"Hey, Kyo-kun..."

Tohru suddenly got quiet and debated on whether she should ask him a question that had been on her mind for a while. After a while she decided that she should just honestly ask him since they were friends and all.  She glanced at him and asked,

"Um...where have you been for all this time? I...I worried about you a lot,"

she said quietly while clutching her folded shirt in her lap. Kyo got very awkward and scratched the back of his head as a nervous habit and cleared his throat uncomfortably,

"Uhh... I've been... on vacation to just get away from all my um... worries. I was just feeling really you know, frustrated and stressed and I just needed some time to myself,"

he answered, not looking at her in the eye and mentally yelling at himself in his head, 

_*Why are you lying? Why are you lying to her?!* _

"But... why didn't you say goodbye?"

She asked, while tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she blinked them back and concentrated on the shirt that she was holding. Kyo balled his hands into fists and sweat prickled down the side of his face,

"I... didn't want to burden anyone... and besides no one would care anyway,"

he said angrily and crossed his arms over his chest, stubbornly. Tohru looked at him in the eye and said softly,

"I would."

Kyo stayed silent for a while and then cleared his throat awkwardly. He needed to change the topic, quick, so he asked, 

"So... uhh, anyway, how is the college life?"

he asked, desperately trying to change the subject. Tohru knew that he wasn't comfortable with the subject and understood so she decided to just lay off of it until he was ready to tell her what was really going on. 

"Well, college life is pretty good; I mean my grades have been going well and everything."

"Have you... um...met anyone special yet?"

he asked nervously and the thought that repeated in his head was,

_*Don't say Yuki, don't say Yuki...*_

Tohru's face turned pink and she answered in an embarrassed tone,

"Well... I'm not seeing anyone at the moment, but Uo-chan and Hana-chan set me up on a date tonight with this guy named Souske. It's nothing big though, just some blind date sort of thing..."

Kyo felt jealousy hit him big time, and he wished that he had never asked her that question. He gritted his teeth down to keep from exploding and asked, 

"Oh... so what time is this date thing anyway?"

"Seven,"

she replied. Kyo glanced at the clock hanging off the kitchen wall and stated,

"Hey, it's like 5:30 already, shouldn't you go and get ready?"

Tohru jumped up and laughed nervously,

"Oh, yes! I should be..." 

She rushed into her room and got the satin white dress out of her closet, the one that she had recently bought. She then stepped into the bathroom and slipped into the dress and tied her hair back with white lace ribbons. Tohru looked at herself in the mirror and smiled with admiration, thinking in her head,

_*I wonder what Kyo will think of it...*_

Her eyes widened at the thought,

_*Wait! I shouldn't be thinking about what **Kyo****-kun** thinks about it... I should be thinking about what **Shinjiru****-kun** will think about the dress...*_

She went downstairs and saw Kyo sitting at the table, just spacing off. When he heard her footsteps he looked up at her and his mouth literally dropped open. He had never seen a more beautiful sight then now...he was at loss of words. Tohru blushed as she saw him stare at her with his mouth open in shock, she wondered to herself if he thought that she looked horrendous or something. 

"Um... Does it look terrible?"

Kyo took in a giant gulp of air and finally found his voice again and squeaked out the words,

"You... look **nice**." 

_*Is that all you can say?! You baka! Just tell her that she's beautiful! Just say it!* _

Kyo watched as a smile formed on her face, making her face practically glow. He lost his voice again...

"Arigatou Kyo-kun,"

she said formally and did a little curtsy. He smiled at her and she smiled back and then looked at the clock, it read 6:05. He jumped out of his spot on the floor and muttered quickly,

"I'll be upstairs; you go and have fun on that date thing..."

He breezed past her and pounded up the wooden staircase. She bit her bottom lip and left the house and back onto the bus to meet her date. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

When she reached the Sushi Bar it was only about 7:03, she sighed with relief and saw a handsome man standing outside of the bar, glancing at his watch. She went up to him and asked politely,

"Konnichiwa, are you by any chance Shinjiru Souske?"

Souske smiled at her with an amused look in his eyes and answered,

"Why yes, I am. And are you by any chance Honda Tohru?"

She giggled and replied,

"I am."

Souske was at awe of her beauty and held out his hand, waiting for her to take it. She stared at it for a second and then finally took it. They both walked into the bar together and sat down at a table for two. 

"So... do you attend Tokyo University as well?"

asked Tohru, to start off the conversation. 

"Oh, no, I go to...."

The rest of his words were suddenly fogged up when thoughts of Kyo suddenly flooded into her brain. She couldn't seem to get her mind off of him for some reason. What was wrong with her? There was this wonderful guy sitting right in front of her, and he might actually be** interested** in her, so why couldn't she get her mind off of a guy who couldn't **possibly** be interested in her? She snapped out of her thoughts and tried hard to focus on what he was saying, she didn't want to be rude.

"Uh… Honda-san? Daijobu? You look like you're dazed out or something,"

he asked with his eyebrows furrowed in concern. Tohru blushed and shook her head furiously,

"Oh, I'm perfectly fine; you don't have to worry about me,"

she said with a forced smile and a nervous sweat prickling down the side of her face. She took a sip of her water and tried to make more small talk by asking more questions about him. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

After the night was over they both walked out of the bar together and he faced her and said,

"Well... I had a great time,"

Tohru smiled and replied,

"Me too, and thank you for the night, it was wonderful."

He looked at her for a while and then finally leaned in to give her a kiss but she moved a little to the left so that he got her cheek. She then apologetically said,

"Um... I'm sorry, but I just don't see you in that way..."

Souske snapped back with embarrassment and laughed nervously,

"I had a feeling that was coming up...but... can I just ask you something?"

Tohru nodded and looked at him expectantly, he looked down at the ground and asked,

"Is there... someone else that you like or something?"

Tohru blushed and asked,

"What would make you think that?"

Souske put his hands in his pockets and shrugged,

"Well... you just seemed like you were thinking about someone else throughout dinner,"

"Ahh... I'm so sorry, I had no idea that I was coming off like that! ... I must have been a terrible date, I'm so sorry."

Souske laughed and looked her in the eye,

"No, you were a great date, and you're a really sweet girl. I'm glad that I went out with you. And that guy out there for you is one lucky guy,"

he said with a smile. Tohru blushed and said,

"Arigatou Shinjiru-kun."

They hugged and then departed. 

It was about 10pm when Tohru came back home. The first thing she did was go upstairs to see if Shigure was home yet and if Kyo was doing okay. Unfortunately, when she went upstairs she found that every room was empty. She furrowed her brows and wondered where Shigure could be. She sighed and then looked up at the ceiling, having a feeling that Kyo was up on the roof, like he always was. She went outside to the side of the house and found the same wooden ladder leaning on the wall of the house. She climbed up the ladder and when she reached the top she saw a familiar figure with fire colored hair sitting on top of the roof, staring off at the silver moon. She smiled at the nostalgia of the moment and stepped up onto the roof. Her footsteps startled him, like they always did, and he turned around to see Tohru approaching him.

"Hey, Kyo-kun,"

she greeted,

"Oy,"

he grunted back and looked back at the moon. She seated herself next to him and he asked her,

"So how did the date go?"

Tohru hugged her knees to her chest and rocked back and forth,

"Well... it went okay, except for the fact that I don't see him as anything more than a friend."

Kyo glanced at her and then looked back at the sky and asked,

"Oh...so why didn't you like the guy?"

Tohru looked at the tiles of the roof and didn't know what to say for a moment.

_*Why **didn't** I like him? He was handsome, caring, friendly, and kind... so why was it that I didn't find myself attracted to him? ...Maybe it's just certain people that you can feel an attraction towards. Only certain people that can catch your heart and make you feel lightheaded whenever you are next to them. I guess it's all a matter of what your heart says...so what's my heart saying now? I'm so confused.*_

She just looked at him and gave him a little shrug,

"I really don't know... I guess I just wasn't attracted to him. I didn't feel anything with him. Like the sweaty palms, and the unstoppable pounding of the heart, and all that other stuff. Oh... I must be rambling, I'm sorry."

Kyo chuckled and turned around to muffle his laughter. Tohru blushed and asked him,

"What is so funny? Is it something I said?"

He shook his head and looked at her with laughing eyes that made her feel extremely self conscious.

"No, it's just that you have a soy sauce stain near the side of your mouth."

He said in between laughs. Tohru's face turned about five different shades of crimson and she turned away, rubbing at her face in embarrassment. He leaned over to her and put his hands on her cheeks and made her face him. Her heart started to beat faster and she started to sweat. She thought to herself,

_*Why is it that I have to feel this way around you?*_

She gulped as he stared at her with laughing eyes and wiped the stain from her mouth gently. After that he whispered softly,

"All gone."

Tohru blinked a couple of times and squeaked out,

"Arigatou Kyo-kun..."

His head suddenly moved closer to her and her eyes fluttered close as an impulse but the sound of an opening door made them jump apart and blush madly. They both rushed back into the house to find Shigure standing in the living room, removing his jacket. He turned around to the sound of footsteps behind him and he gasped with a shocked look on his face. He stuttered out, 

"T..Tohru-kun?! ...Kyo-kun?!!"

A giant smile formed on his face and he immediately ran to them and gave them both a giant hug, which made him turn into a dog with tears flowing down his face. 

"Oh! I missed you two so, so much! Ohh, I've been so lonely!"

he said in between sniffs and loud sobs. He let out a big sniff and closed his eyes while more tears of happiness poured down his cheeks. Tohru laughed with joy while Kyo just rolled his eyes, but inside he was really feeling incredibly happy. But the happy feeling vanished when Yuki stepped into the house. Once Yuki caught sight of Kyo he gave him a glare but still politely nodded and said,

"Hello Kyo-kun..." 

Kyo just grunted in return and inched away from Yuki. 

Yuki just smirked and then turned to Tohru, smiling gently at her, and said

"Hello Honda-san," 

Tohru laughed and looked happily at Yuki, the crying dog (Shigure), and then Kyo. That's when the tears of joy flowed down from her eyes as she yelled out to all three of them,

"Okairii!"

**Reviews would be wonderful, THANKS, THANKS, and more THANKSS :D hehes **

**-mochaaa**


	4. Naked

**Author's Note: THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS.. I FEEL SO LOVED! @_@ ::BLOWS NOSE ON A TISSUE SUPER LOUDLY:: hehes ^___^ anyways, I just wanna say THANKS and that I LOVE YOU PEOPLE SO DAMN MUCH muaaahahahsss...SERIOUSLY ;]**

**ch004 - Naked**

   It was a dark, dreary night and Shigure, Yuki, Kyo and Tohru were all sitting around the table peacefully eating dinner. That's when a loud crack of thunder interrupted the peace and quiet of the house. The thunder made Tohru quiver inside and glance outside. The rainstorm was really hitting Tokyo hard today. The door suddenly slid open quickly, making a slamming noise. Tohru dropped her bowl of rice on the table, causing the bowl to crack a little. The rest of them looked at the door in alarm when they saw Hatori, drenched, and breathing heavily at the entrance of the house. 

"S-Shigure... Everyone, I have news..."

They all got up and went over to him in concern,

"Hatori-san..."

said Tohru in a worried tone. Hatori looked at all them with a scary look and gasped out the words,

"Akito's dead."

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Tohru, Kyo, Yuki, Shigure, and Hatori all silently went to Akito's place and found the rest of the gang there as well. Once Momiji saw Hatori he buried his face in his shirt, crying. Everyone else looked like they were frozen in ice as they stared at the unmoving body that hung from the gallows. Tohru gulped and her knees were shaking as she peered at the hanging body. She hated death; it brought back painful memories for her. She took a deep breath and looked at his white face and she felt her knees tremble even more. She gulped again and felt tears sting the back of her eyelids, so she looked away from the body and caught sight on a cage and broken chains in the corner of the room.

_*What is that for....?*_

She took a deep breath and looked away from that as well. 

After a while of mourning, they had a proper burial and funeral that night. They all stood in the rain with their eyes closed, sending off their prayers for Akito. Shigure then stepped up and placed a pot of fresh flowers in front of the grave. Tohru still couldn't believe that this was all happening, it was all so surreal.

     When they all got home no one spoke a word to anyone and they all immediately went into their own separate rooms. Tohru shut herself in her room and lay down on her bed, rewinding the events of the past few days. 

_*Why does death have to happen?*  _

she thought to herself and closed her eyes. A soft knock on her bedroom door was suddenly heard throughout her room, causing her to sit up. She wondered who it could be. When she slid open the door she saw Kyo standing there with a sullen look on his face.

"Can I come in?"

he asked in a choked voice. She nodded and let him in before shutting the door again. The minute he got in he started to babble out whatever was on his mind, 

"T-Tohru...I-I have to tell you the truth, because I just need to tell someone because… because...I just want to let my feelings out. A-And right now I just can't deal with all these emotions all at once anymore. I just can't, I just can't!"

Kyo sat down on the bed and put his hands over his face with frustration while Tohru sat down next to him. 

"Kyo-kun, calm down, what is it?"

Kyo lifted his hands off of his face and whipped his face towards her and said with anguish,

"I was never on vacation... I was lying to you, and I'm terrible for lying to you. Dammit... I'm so sorry. I wish I was more honest."

Kyo put his hands back over his face and continued his confession while angrily rocking back and forth on the bed,

"I... I was at Akito's for the past few months, he locked me up after graduation to seal me from the rest of the world... and… and I just never wanted to tell you, but I wanted to so badly, you don't know how badly. But I was too much of a damn wuss..."

His eyes were watering and Tohru was in shock. She uttered out the question,

"W… What did he do to you?"

Kyo looked down at his lap with his fists clenched and said through gritted teeth,

"Terrible things, he would whip me, torture me... it was hell. But one night he just let me go... and I still don't even know why...Ughh!"

Tohru blinked back tears of her own and grabbed his hand and held on tight while tears started to flow down his cheeks. He shook his head angrily as more tears slid down his cheeks, 

"And.. worst part is, I'm happy. I'm happy about his death! What kind of person is selfish enough to be happy about that kind of crap?! Dammit! I deserve to die... I ... I...I'm a disgusting person, he was right about me all along."

He couldn't speak anymore because he was all choked up and his eyes were a blur. Tohru grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little, making him look up at her. She said to him in a sincere voice, 

"You are not a horrible person... and you don't deserve to die. No one does! Remember the time when you told me that it was okay to be selfish once in a while? Well I believed that, and I still do. So, I think that it's okay for you to be selfish right now. It's okay...It's okay."

Tohru wiped the tears from his face with a warm thumb and gave him an encouraging smile; he stared back at her and returned a shaky smile. 

"I'm here for you, so don't say or think horrible things like that. I'll always be here for you Kyo-kun, no matter what."

He laid his head down on her shoulder and took deep breaths as more drops of tears fell from his closed eyes.

_*Thank you for being here for me...thank you **so much**...* _

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_I wake up in the morning_

_Put on my face_

_The one that's gonna get me_

_Through another day_

_Doesn't really matter_

_How I feel inside_

_'Cause life is like a game sometimes_

_But then you came around me_

_The walls just disappeared_

_Nothing to surround me_

_And keep me from my fears_

_I'm unprotected_

_See how I've opened up_

_Oh, you've made me trust_

_Because I've never felt like this before_

_I'm naked_

_Around you_

_Does it show?_

_You see right through me_

_And I can't hide_

_I'm naked_

_Around you_

_And it feels so right_

_I'm trying to remember_

_Why I was afraid_

_To be myself and let the_

_Covers fall away_

_I guess I never had someone like you_

_To help me, to help me fit_

_In my spirit_

_I'm so naked around you_

_And I can't hide_

_You're gonna see right through._

_Avril__ Lavigne -Naked_

**Please review :] Thanks a bunch. ^___^  **


	5. Unspoken Words

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews :) It's really, really sweet of you all ^__^**

**ch005 - Unspoken Words**

     It had been a week or two after the death and things had seemed to go back to "normal" back at the Sohma household. The whole gang was eating dinner around the table. Suddenly Shigure faced Kyo and asked,

"Hey! Kyo-kun, are you planning on going to college with Tohru-kun?"

Kyo stopped chewing for a good few seconds and stared down at the table for a while. Yuki gave a death glare to Shigure and angrily ate his rice in silence, putting a mental note in his head to kick Shigure's ass later.

"I don't know." 

Kyo muttered and he glanced at Tohru for a second, who flashed him a smile and said in a cheerful voice,

"It would be great if you went to the same college as me and Sohma-kun! It'd be so much fun if you were with us!"

Kyo blushed and stuffed more food in his mouth, before stating his reply,

"I'll ... think about it." 

He stuffed the last bite in his mouth and rushed upstairs to his room. Shigure laughed and watched as the red faced Kyo fled up to his room, it was so typical of Kyo to run from decisions. He also knew that he secretly really wanted to go to the college but he just didn't want to admit it in front of everyone, he smiled to himself again and happily finished his delicious dinner with Yuki and Tohru. After dinner Tohru washed the dishes and then went to Kyo's room to see if he was thinking about actually going to college with her and Yuki. She knocked on his door two times and heard him mutter something unaudible and open the door. She gave him a little wave and his face changed from grumpy to normal in an instant. 

"Can I come in?"

she asked him tentatively. Kyo stood there for a moment and then moved out of the way, letting her step into his room.

"Arigatou,"

she said and reluctantly sat down on his bed with her fingers laced together. He leaned on a nearby wall and asked her,

"So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I just wanted you to know that I'd be really happy if you went to Tokyo University with me and Sohma-kun. It's really a nice place! Umm...so are you going to go?"

Tohru asked curiously and he just shrugged with a tired look on his face and said in a low voice,

"Hey I think I'm going to go get some sleep now... so I'll talk to you later." 

Tohru looked at the clock in his room and then stood up with a yawn,

"Oh, yes you're right... I'm sorry to have bothered you. Good nigh Kyo-kun." 

Kyo watched as she left the room and went into her own. Once she left he flopped down on his bed with a sigh, he wanted to go with her to college, but on the other hand there was the damn rat...

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The next morning Tohru woke up and went downstairs to make breakfast. When she went walked to her door she found a scrap of paper stuck to her door. She looked at it with a questionable expression and scanned the note. It read,

_I'm out to take the entrance exam _

_and__ fill out all that other paper crap _

_for__Tokyo__University__... _

_I won't be back until later, _

_so__ don't worry about me._

_-Kyo_

Tohru smiled as she finished reading the little note and proceeded to go downstairs and make breakfast for everyone else. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

After a few days or so the mail finally came and so did the acceptance letter. Kyo's heart thumped as he shakily ripped open the letter with anticipation in every cell of his body. He took out the note with Tohru and Shigure looking over his shoulder, and Yuki standing a few feet away. They all scanned the letter quickly and their eyes all grew wide with shock, he had gotten accepted! Shigure pumped his fists in the air and did a little dance, that couldn't be explained in words.  

"Congratulations Kyo-kun!" 

said Tohru happily, Kyo smirked at Yuki's direction and Yuki glared viciously back at Kyo. Yuki was obviously glowing with envy and anger as he stalked upstairs, clearly pissed. Shigure picked up the phone and said in a sing a song voice,

"I think that we should have a party with everyone to celebrate this joyous moment!"

Tohru laughed and Kyo just grunted under his breath,

"He just wanted a reason to have a party."

Later that night Kagura, Hatori, Momiji, and Haru were all at the Sohma house and showering an irritated Kyo with congratulations and hugs, especially Kagura. From the top of the staircase, Yuki spotted Tohru putting some food out on the table and walked over to her. She looked up at him and asked with a smile on her face,

"Sohma-kun! Are you hungry?"

Yuki put his hand up up and shook his head with a smile,

"No, but thank you for asking. I just came over to ask if you could come outside for a moment... to talk."

Tohru set down the last plate of riceballs and looked up at Yuki with surprise in her eyes,

"Sure,"

she replied as she followed him outside into the backyard. Through the crowd of annoying people surrounding Kyo he could still see Yuki leading Tohru outside to the backyard. Kyo clenched his fists to his sides thought to himself angrily,

_*What the hell is that stupid ass rat doing?*_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yuki cleared his throat and took her hands in his, making Tohru blush madly, and he said in a sincere voice,

"I wanted to tell you something that's been on my mind for quite a while."

Tohru nodded and awkwardly slipped her hands out of his and looked at him with wide brown eyes. Yuki put a hand through his soft hair nervously and said,

"I just wanted to tell you that... that I'm in love with you,"

Tohru's eyes widened with pure awe and she didn't know what to say for a moment. This was all so sudden and she had no idea of how to answer this confession. Yuki watched as she stared at him with an expression of shock. Yuki looked down, embarrassed and rambled on about his love for her,

"I've loved you for such a long time and its killing me just watching you not knowing my feelings towards you. So Honda-san... would you go out with me?"

Tohru froze and she thought to herself in a panic,

_*I can't tell him that I don't like him in that way! We have such a great friendship and I don't want to break that... what do I do?! If I reject him he will hate me forever! He will never speak to me again, so what do I do?! Should I just say yes? Oh no... Mother what do I do?*_

The guilt inside of her took control for a split second making her stutter out the words,

"I-I umm…yes?"

Once Yuki heard the word 'yes' come out of her mouth he was completely elated and he kissed her on the cheek with a happy smile on his face. Her heart twisted and she felt like the worst person in the universe. She had just lied to Yuki... what was she going to do? She just returned a nervous smile and looked away from his happy eyes. A few feet away Kyo was standing near the doorway and he had just heard the whole thing, it was all very nauseating. Kyo rushed to the roof before Tohru or Yuki could catch him listening to their little "love session." He was feeling so angry and mad at Yuki, but he was angrier towards himself for not being able to tell Tohru how he felt first. He sighed and lay down on the cool tiles of the roof. He could still hear the voices downstairs and Shigure's loud laughter. After a few minutes he heard the sound of footsteps closing in on him. He turned his head to see Tohru standing there on the roof with this look on her face that he couldn't seem to describe. 

"Can I sit down?"

She asked while looking at the spot next to him. Kyo just nodded and then looked at the star filled sky. 

"What are you doing up here? Shouldn't you be off with your boyfriend?"

He asked, stressing out the word boyfriend. Tohru sat down and looked down at her hands on her lap and felt this strange sense of guilt fill her heart,

"You heard?"

Kyo didn't answer and let the silence fill the air. Tohru broke the silence and confessed,

"I don't even know why I said yes... I guess I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I found myself saying yes. This is so terrible."

Kyo sat up straighter and asked with disbelief,

"Wait... so you don't like him?"

Tohru shook her head sadly and replied,

"Not in that way... I don't know what got into me at that moment."

"Tch, it's cuz you're too damn nice. Being honest and being nice is different sometimes. You gotta tell that damn rat that you don't like him soon, because you're just going to end up hurting him and yourself. I mean I don't mind him getting hurt, but... I don't want to see you get hurt."

Kyo seemed to say his last few words more quietly than the others. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and saw her lips turn up a little bit.

"Thank you for the advice. I wish I was more like you, you're so honest about everything and so straightforward. I like that about you.

Kyo blushed and scoffed,

"Trust me, you wouldn't wanna be like me."

Tohru laughed a little. Kyo watched as the soft night breeze played with her chestnut hair and made her look so angelic. He faced her and asked her a question that was really random,

"Tohru, who do you love the most?"

Tohru's eyebrows drew together and she said,

"Eh? I love everyone the same amount; I wouldn't single anyone out like that."

Kyo shook his head a little and fixed his sentence, 

"No, I meant in a...romantic manner.

Tohru's eyebrows raised in surprise at the question, it was all so sudden.

"I... I don't know,"

she finally said, after a long pause. Kyo was clearly flustered and wished that he had just shut his mouth,

"Oh... never mind what I just said, I was just being curious,"

"It's okay. Oh! Shouldn't you be getting back to your celebration party?"

Kyo chuckled and looked back at the sky, feeling the breeze cool his face.

"Nah... I'd rather stay here. With you."

Tohru felt the blood rush to her head and she began to feel a little lightheaded from his last words. She blushed and looked at him, thinking,

_*I wish I knew why I hadn't told you what I was really thinking. Like when you asked me that question about who I loved the most? I lied. I really did know the answer to that question, but I told you that I didn't know. But I wasn't lying because I was feeling guilty, this time I was lying because I was afraid to tell you the truth. Why can't I just speak what my heart just truly wants me to say? ...I guess for now, my feelings will have to remain unspoken.*_

**Reviews please hehes, THANKSS **


	6. AUTHOR NOTE

AUTHOR NOTE:  
  
Hey could someone please be a dear and tell me how the heck to make words italics and bold and underline?! Like when I type the entry on Microsoft word I can bold and all that other crap, but when I put it on fanfiction.net, the bold and italics all go away... sooo if anyone has a CLUE about what the heck I'm talking about it'd be super nice if you could clue me in just a bit.  
  
THANKS 


	7. Still Friends

**A/N - Special Thanks to _chibi-neko_and my friend _Leanna_:] Oh man, you guys helped me SOOOO friggin much! Now I know how to do it, HIP HIP HURRAYYY!! Now you all can see the wonders of bold and italics WHOO HOOO!!! hahas ^___^ uhh.. before you think i'm some crazy psychotic *BEEP* i'll just stop now and let you read the story. ^__^**

**ch007 - Still Friends**

_Japanese lesson #04 _

_hentai__ - pervert_

_Gomen__ nesai - I'm sorry_

"A CAMPING TRIP?" 

exclaimed Yuki, Tohru, and Kyo in unison. Shigure nodded happily and flashed a giant, toothy smile at all three of them. 

"Yup, that's what I said! I think that we needed to spice up our vacation a little bit. So why don't we go into the woods nearby and just camp out? It'll be fun! Just the four of us... sounds exciting, right?" 

Tohru had a starry look in her eyes as she gazed wonderously at Shigure with undying happiness, 

"Oh this is just so exciting! I've always wanted to go camping! I've never gone before!" 

Yuki smiled at Tohru's zest and then said to Shigure, 

"Well camping doesn't sound so bad, sounds stress relieving to me. And Kyo can chase off all the bears," 

he said with a slight snicker. Kyo glared at Yuki and then rasied his fist in the air, yelling, 

"I didn't fight any damn bears you rat ass!" 

Tohru tried to stop them from getting violent by asking Kyo,

"Are you coming too?"

Kyo blushed, his anger level slowly lowering to a simmer as he put his hands behind his head, trying to look casual, and said with a little shrug,

"I guess, I mean I have to keep an eye on the hentai dog here..."

"Hey, I can hear you, you know!" 

said Shigure with a pout on his face. 

"I know,"

said Kyo with a roll in his eyes and a smirk on his face. Tohru laughed softly and couldn't wait for the camping to begin. That's when she caught sight of Yuki's face and the way he was looking at her. He had this beautiful and charming smile planted on his face, and it was directed towards her. She gulped as all the memories about him and her dating flooded back into her head, making her excitement chip away. She bit her lower lip and knew that she had to tell him the truth today because she couldn't take the lying anymore, she didn't want to hurt him anymore then she was going to.

"Ahh, I'm going to go upstairs and pack my belongings for the trip,"

she said nervously and rushed upstairs like a litte mouse in hiding. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

That night they all left the house and went out into the woods where they found a nice spot where there was plenty of open space. Tohru immediately volunteered to set up the tents and Yuki hurriedly went to help her. 

_*Oh no! We're going to be all alone... oh gosh, I'm so nervous!*_

Tohru gulped as Yuki and her both set up the tents quietly while Kyo and Shigure went out to get the firewood. 

"So... isn't this exciting?" 

asked Yuki with a perfect grin on his face,

"Yes it is,"

she replied, in an awkward tone.

When they finished getting the tents set up Yuki went over to Tohru and placed her hands in his soft pale hands and held onto them tightly.

"Tohru, you look so beautiful right now..."

he whispered in her ear as he leaned in closer to her. She held her breath and felt like she had to get away, but she felt petrified. He leaned back a little so that their faces were only inches away from each other, she could feel his warm breath on her face and she drew back a little. However, he leaned in closer and his lips brushed hers, and that's when she found the power to move. She pushed him away gently and felt tears fall from her eyes, as she whispered,

"Gomen nesai...I can't."

Yuki touched the side of her face and brushed away the strands of her hair,

"It's okay if you're not ready to go any further... I promise that I won't do it again unless you're rea---"

Tohru shook her head and cut him off,

"No... I **_can't_**."

Tohru looked up at him with her guilt stricken face and his hand fell from her face and to the side of his body. 

"What is it?"

"I... don't feel anything more than** friendship** with you... I'm so sorry. So sorry."

She felt so many hot tears leak out of her eyes and she felt like she was about to explode from all the horrible feelings that she harbored. 

"I... I don't know what to say,"

said Yuki in a low voice. Suddenly the sound of Shigure's voice made them both turn around in unison. Kyo and Shigure were both approaching with armloads of firewood. Yuki turned, not wanting to show any signs of weakness in front of her, and walked away from her to meet the others. Tohru felt like dying at that moment, the thought of losing Yuki as a friend was something that just made her want to literally kill herself. 

_*I can't believe this is happening. Have I really lost such a great friendship?*_

Tohru wiped the tears from her eyes and put on a happy facade before going to where everyone else was. She saw Shigure, Kyo and Yuki sitting on seperate logs around the fire. 

"Come princess! I have saved a seat on my log just for you!"

said Shigure mischieviously as he patted the spot next to him on the wooden log. Kyo rolled his eye in disgust at his actions and crossed his arms over his chest in a pissed off way. Tohru went over to that spot timidly and sat down next to him.. She looked across from her and saw Yuki looking at her, but not with anger... she didn't know quite know what though. She sighed and looked down at her lap, not able to meet his eye. 

"So how about we have a few drinks?!" 

asked Shigure while laughing hysterically and holding up bottles of beer. As if an instinct Yuki and Kyo both hit Shigure on the head, making him rub it in pain.

"Owww... what was that for?! All I suggested was a few beers,"

Kyo and Yuki sighed with exasperation and looked away from each other huffily. Shigure shrugged and opened a can, guzzling away joyously. Before they all knew it, Shigure was drunk as hell and he was prancing around the fire like an idiot. Kyo sighed and propped his elbows on his lap, glancing back and forth from Yuki and Tohru, wondering what had happened between them. Yuki sighed and got tired of all the awkward stares and silent moments so he got up from the log and said,

"I'm tired, so i'm going to go to sleep early...good night."

With that, Yuki stepped into his own little tent leaving a silent Tohru, an annoyed Kyo and a drunk Shigure outside. After a while of dancing and prancing Shigure fell asleep on the ground with a bottle in his hand and drool trickling down the side of his mouth. Kyo snickered at the sight of the grown man on the ground, drooling, and walked over to where Tohru was sitting and seated himself next to her. 

"So what's been going on with you and pretty boy?"

Tohru paused for a few seconds and stared into the flaring lights of the fire for a moment,

"I don't know... but I feel like I'm just about the worst person in the universe." 

Tohru looked down and blinked back her tears and stared intently at the orange light that emitted from the fire.

"I told him that I saw him as just a friend, and now I don't know if we're even friends anymore. I don't know anything anymore."

Kyo awkwardly patted her on the back and then hastily put his hand back on his lap,  

"I think that Yuki is a dumbass to make such a damn big deal over this anyway... what a **drama queen**,"

he yelled out, suddenly his brain stopped him before he could yell more insults out,

_*What are you doing you idiot?! You're supposed to be making her feel better, not rant on about your hatred for him. Just concentrate on making her feel better!*_

Kyo shook his head lightly and cleared his throat, and said in a louder voice,

"Look, you're the most caring, and kindest person that I know... and that's the truth. I also know that you would never want to hurt anyone intentionally, and I'm **sure** that he won't be mad at you tomorrow morning because he'll realize that you're too great a girl to give up on. And then by tomrrow things will just be back to normal with him and you, you know?"

Tohru didn't say anything for a while and just looked like she was mute or something. Kyo put his hand behind his neck and let out a giant sigh,

"Damn... I'm not good with this whole comfort thing,"

he muttered. Tohru looked at him and said with wide eyes,

"No! I thank you for listening and everything. And you **did **make me feel better, you really did! ...Arigatou."

Kyo fiddled with his thumbs and looked at her sideways,

"No problem... you... can talk to me anytime you need a person to listen to or a shoulder to lean on."

Tohru stared at him and felt her whole body wash over with a happy feeling with the words that he said to her. She smiled and watched as the fire made his tan skin radiate and his orange hair flare up into a soft glow. A soft breeze picked up at that moment and a small snowflake fell from the deep blue sky, slowly. Tohru's head turned up and so did Kyo's. Smiles seemed to just rise on their faces as they watched the snowflake dance to the ground. After the first one had landed more and more followed after it. Tohru smiled at the sight and beauty of the scenery and tears fell down her cheeks.

"Snow..."

said Kyo breathlessly as he watched it swirl around the both of them. He suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder and looked to his side to see her head on his shoulder. He felt his face grow beet red and his heart skip 1000 beats. He watched as her eyes averted up to meet his and he gave her a bashful smile and she mirrored a smile just like his own. Then they both looked up at the deep blue sky, watching the snow fall down to the ground. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning came by and Tohru woke up inside her own tent. She peeked out of her tent and spotted Yuki sitting outside, just staring straight ahead, as if he was waiting for something... or someone. She timidly stepped outside, hoping that he wasn't mad at her. 

"O-Ohayou Sohma-kun,"

she stammered while inching towards him. His head whipped towards her in surprise and his eyes softened when he saw her standing awkwardly nearby. 

"Ohayou Honda-san,"

he answered quietly and then stood up, he had woken up, hoping to have a conversation with her... but it didn't seem to be happening. Tohru blushed and said the words,

"Gomen nesai!" 

Yuki froze in his spot and then turned his head slowly in her direction,

"What?"

Tohru shook her head in shame,

"I'm so sorry, about yesterday! I feel so guilty and I can understand if you hate me..."

Yuki walked over to her and lifted her chin,

"I would **never** hate you... **ever**. Remember that. So let's just continue like none of this ever happened okay? I mean I was maybe a little hurt at first but I'm over it... and I want you to know that I still want to be friends with you."

Tohru smiled at him with happiness and chirped,

"Arigatou....for still being my friend."

_*Oh how **beautiful** life can be....*_

**REVIEWS PLEASEEE :D THANKS**


	8. The Greatest Gift

**ch008 - This Gift**

Tomorrow was a special day, a very special day. It was Kyo's birthday! Tohru hummed happily in the kitchen, elated that she had already planned a surprise party and had everything else organized. The only thing that she didn't have figured out was what to get him for a present. She sighed as she wiped the last dish dry and placed it in the cabinet with the other dishes. She had to think of something nice to get him, she wanted tomorrow to be the the day that she told him what kind of feelings that she had really been feeling for him lately. Lately things had been having these feelings for him and she just had to let him know. Like her mother said, 

_"When you find that special someone, you **tell** that person that you love them unconditionally, or you never know what will happen to them if you don't. You'll may end up regretting it for the rest of your life." _

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That afternoon Tohru went out and went out to a fabric store where she found all the things that she needed for Kyo's present. She had finally decided on a gift for him, and it was probably going to take her all night to make. When she finished buying all of her supplies she went to the grocery store to buy food for the party and then hurried back home. Once she reached the house she immediately went to her room and closed the door, ready to get to work because she had a lot of work ahead of her. That night passed by like a flash for Tohru, since she had worked until midnight. She held up her masterpiece with a smile and put it in nice wrapping paper that she had just purchased. She was so exhausted that she fell asleep with her head on the table, holding the wrapped present in her fingers. Before she knew it morning came along and the sun rays gleamed through the windows. Tohru grimaced and felt an ache in her neck as she raised her head from the wooden table she had slept on for seven hours. The pain went away when she realized that she still had a lot of work to do, she had to decorate the house and set up the food. There was so much to do, and so little time. 

     A few days ago Tohru had invited the whole Sohma family to Kyo's birthday party, but it was supposed to be a surprise. Therefore, she had asked Kagura to force Kyo to go out to lunch until exactly 5:00pm, which was when they would come back home and he would get surprised by all the happy faces. She stumbled down the staircase and heard Kagura in the living room forcing Kyo to go out with her. 

"Kyouu-kuunn! You promised that you would go out with me today!" 

Kyo tried to wrench his hand out of her grasp, but couldn't find the strength to do it. 

"LET GO OF ME! AND WHAT IS ALL THIS CRAP ABOUT PROMISING YOU?! I NEVER PROMISED YOU NOTHING! ARGHHHHHH!" 

Kagura grabbed his arm cheerfully and literally dragged him out of the house, 

"Oh! Cmon! It's your** birthday**!! I want to treat you to some lunch, is that so bad?" 

Kyo grabbed at the edges of the walls to try to hold her back, but her grip was too strong and she pulled him right off. Shigure and Yuki watched as she dragged him along the road in amusement. Shigure spotted Tohru by the staircase and chuckled, 

"Aren't they a wonderful couple?" 

Tohru smiled and then held up a bag of food and decorations. 

"I'll prepare the food and you two can do the decorating." 

They both nodded and got to work. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

It was about 4:55pm and the whole family was hiding in the dark, anticipating Kagura and Kyo's arrival. In what seemed like an hour, they all heard the slide of the door and the lights flickered on. At that exact moment everyone popped up and screamed at the top of their lungs, 

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KYO!" 

Kyo nearly fell over on Kagura as he saw everyone pop up out of nowhere. Kagura laughed and said enthusiastically, 

"We all planned a surprise party just for you!" 

Kyo looked around the room and was completely speechless; he hadn't had a birthday like this before. It was a warm feeling that was quite new to him. Kyo caught Tohru's eye and walked over to her and went straight to her, while everyone else mingled, and said, 

"Wow, this is... surprising..." 

Tohru laughed and pointed at the table nearby, 

"And there is a whole table full of all your presents! Oh, Kyo can I a-" 

she was interrupted by Kagura who pounced on Kyo and made him fall over onto the floor with a thud. 

"OW! What the HELL do you think you're doing?!" 

he asked in pure anguish. 

"I wanted you to open my birthday present FIRST!" 

Kyo sighed with exasperation and Tohru just backed away from the two nervously and decided to get some food. She would ask him to meet her somewhere private when he was less... preoccupied. Hours passed and Tohru couldn't find the chance to tell him because he was always with someone, mainly Kagura, and she could barely get a chance with him. It was like last time, when they had that party for Kyo's acceptance into Tokyo University. 

Finally the time came for him to open presents and Tohru still had hers up in her room... she had planned on giving it to him in private...but it didn't look like it was going to happen just now. She gulped and wondered if she should run upstairs and put it on the table but then that would be rude, and she wanted to give it to him in private. Tohru started to sweat as he opened up the first present, which was from Shigure. It was a magazine full of girls with an **interesting** amount of clothing [ A/N : you know what I mean! @_@ ] Kyo's face turned red and he threw the book at Shigure's face and screamed, 

"I'M NOT A HENTAI LIKE YOU!" 

Shigure let out a loud teasing laugh and then held onto the magazine for himself. Kyo rolled his eyes and tore up the next present which was from Kagura. He was a little afraid of what was in this one. It turned out to be brand new pants, and a brand new shirt. Kagura squealed with happiness as he looked at them with an astounded look on his face. 

"Kyo, don't you LOVE my gift?" 

Kyo just muttered a thanks and moved onto the rest of the presents. After a long while, he had finally finished and ended up with one sock, from Yuki, a plush cat toy, from Momiji, a martial arts book, from Hatori, and money, from Haru. Kyo felt a surge of disappointment fill him when he found that there was nothing from Tohru. 

_*Maybe she just didn't have the money... I can understand that.*_

It was late and everyone was now leaving to go back to their own houses. Kyo muttered out his thanks to everyone and pried Kagura off of his arm before slamming the door shut with frustration. Tohru decided that now was her only chance and she had to do it now or never. Shigure yawned audibly and said, 

"Great party, I'm so tired though, I'm going to turn in now, good night everyone." 

Shigure sleepily went upstairs followed by Yuki who said in a fatigued voice,

"I'm gonna go to bed too, good night."

Kyo looked down at the ground and said bashfully,

"I'm just gonna go up to the roof..."

He went out the door and climbed up to the roof, his only escape. Tohru stood there for a moment and then rushed to her room, she had to give him the present and tell him now. She grabbed the present from her room and then clambered up the ladder loudly. He looked at her with confusion and wondered what she was doing up here so late. She walked over to him with a red face and then without a word she held out the nicely wrapped package and said,

"I'm sorry I didn't put it on the table... I had wanted to give it to you in private, but I couldn't find the right moment to give it to you, but I guess now is a good time."

She sat down next to him and watched as he carefully unwrapped the present. As he opened up the box he lifted out a orange scarf, handmade by her. 

"I know that it isn't that great bu-"

"I love it,"

he cut her off and gave her a diffident smile that made her face flare up. She had never thought that she would hear the words "_I love it_," come out of his mouth, **_ever._**

"Did you make this yourself?"

"Oh... umm... yes, but it didn't take too long, only a couple of hours."

she said as if it had been the easiest task in the world. He shook his head with a dazed look on his face and that's when she saw a lone tear roll down the side of his face. 

"Kyo-kun..."

"You always have this way... this way to make me feel so...**_happy_**. You make me feel like I'm someone** important** and I want to **thank you.**"****

Tohru looked down at her hands in her lap with embarrassment and said uneasily,

"Oh it's not that great, I mean it's nothing compared to what Kagura gave you. She must have used up a fortune for you."

Kyo smiled and moved closer to her so that she could feel his breath on her cheek. 

"No, I meant **you**… **_you're_** the greatest gift that I could ever get...you changed my life in ways that I can't even **comprehend**. You make me want to be a **better person**... you don't know how much I appreciate you, and how **blessed** I feel to have you in my life. It's amazing." 

Kyo smiled a rare smile at her and looked her in the eye, with a softer look in his usual fiery eyes, and continued,

"You help me **fit in**; you help me feel like I'm **somebody**."

Kyo felt more hot tears drag down the sides of his face and he touched her face with his warm hands and she murmured, 

"Kyo...kun."

He laid his lips gently on top of hers and he **kissed **her, it was the **best** feeling in the entire world, she felt like she was on the clouds and **floating.** It was like time **froze.**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

_The snow is falling the city is white  _

_Your eyes are shining like diamonds tonight  _

_and__ we're all alone there's no one home  _

_you're__ finally in my arms again  _

_the__ night is silent, the moment is here  _

_I couldn't ask for more than having you near  _

_'cause I love you girl I always will  _

_and__ now I know the moment is right  _

_'cause I've been waiting to give this gift tonight  _

_I'm down on my knees there's no better time  _

_It's something to last for as long as you live  _

_tonight__ im gonna give you, all my heart can give  _

_I thought I'd give you something shiny and new  _

_I tried to find something worthy of you  _

_but__ I realized when I looked inside  _

_there's__ somethings that money cant buy  _

_I feel the magic whenever your near  _

_I feel it even more this time of the year  _

_'cause I love you girl, I always will  _

_and__ now I know the moment is right, the moment is right  _

_you__ know i'll always be true to you  _

_and__ you know im the one you can turn to  _

_anytime__ any place anywhere  _

_you'll__ know that ill always be there  _

_98degrees - This Gift_

**Reviews pweeeeseee! ^___^ ::gives pleading look:: lols**


	9. Scared

**Thank you for all the reviews everyone. I'm really, really, really, _really_ thankful ^__^**

**ch008 - [Scared]**

     It was very early in the morning and Tohru was up, thinking about the night before. She couldn't get the images and the feelings out of her mind... and there were so many thoughts that were jumbled inside that she wanted to sort out. She sighed and placed her hands onto her head and massaged the temples of her head in a slow motion. 

_*Have things changed now? What do I say to everyone? What is going to happen between us?!*_

She couldn't take all the thinking that was taking place, so she got off her bed and went downstairs to find it empty, since it was so early. She decided that she needed advice from her best friends so she picked up the phone and three wayed Hana, and Uo. 

"What's up Tohru? Is everything all right at the Sohmas?"

asked Uo in a concerned tone. Tohru laughed nervously on the phone and reassured them by saying, 

"Oh yes! Everything is fine... but I do have kind of a** problem**."

Both Hana and Uo's ears perked up and they listened intently as Tohru continued,

"Me and Kyo kind of... got together last night..."

"YOU WHAT?!!!!!!!!"

screeched Uo so loudly that Tohru had to hold the phone away from her ears. 

"We'll get that idiot for deflowering our Tohru,"

said Hana monotonously. Tohru nearly dropped the phone in embarrassment,

"You guys! I didn't do **_that_**! All we did was have one kiss, **_nothing_** more!"

Uo and Hana both calmed down and Uo's voice level lowered back to normal,

"Oh...well that's a relief...so what's the big problem?"

Tohru sighed into the receiver and then sat down on a nearby stool,

"I...I just don't know what to **do** now, I have a feeling that things between us will be **awkward** now. And I'm not sure if I want Sohma-kun to find out.. because I don't want to hurt his feelings any more then I already have."

Uo and Hana paused on the phone for a second to think and then Uo spoke,

"I think the best thing to do is to tell The Prince and see how everything goes from there. I'm sure if it's the right relationship and if it's **meant to be** then you two should be able to get through it. This is merely an obstacle... but you'll get through it Tohru."

"Thank you Uo-chan."

"And do not forget that we will always be here for you if you need **anything** else at all. We're best friends,"

said Hana on the other line.

"Thank you Hana-chan... you two are the best. Thank you for listening to me and everything."

Tohru suddenly heard the sounds of footsteps echoeing down the staircase and quickly said her goodbye to the two and hung up the phone. Once she put the phone down Kyo entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks when he saw Tohru standing in the kitchen. He blushed and looked down at the wooden floorboard,

"O-Oy..."

he said nervously and stuck his hands in his pockets. He glanced up at her bashfully and then cleared his throat. Tohru felt the heat build up inside her and she gulped with all the silence that hung in the air.

"Ahhh.... Kyo-kun, I--"

Right at that second Yuki entered the kitchen sleepily.

"Ohayou Honda-san."

Tohru leaned on the cold counter and said in an almost dissappointed voice,

"O-Ohayou Sohma-kun.."

Kyo just grunted and then left the kitchen, leaving Yuki and Tohru standing there. Tohru knew that one way of getting rid of some of the emotions juggling inside of her was to confess her feelings about Kyo to Yuki.

"Sohma-kun, I have something to tell you."

Yuki opened up the fridge and scanned it for a drink and asked,

"What is it?"

Tohru fumbled with the hem of her shirt and stuttered out,

"Me and Kyo kissed last night... and ... and I just wanted to get it out in the open."

Yuki froze and he slowly closed the door of the refrigerator before facing Tohru. He then put on a shaky smile and asked in a weak voice,

"Well... are you happy with him?"

Tohru nodded with a guilt and then looked back up at his glazing eyes and whispered out,

"I'm sorry..."

Yuki shook his head and gave her a genuine smile,

"Then I'm** happy** for you. I mean, you deserve so much better than that **idiot cat**... but as long as you're happy then **I'm** happy."

Tohru felt the tears fill her eyes as she laced her fingers together and flashed him a giant smile,

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyo was up on the roof and heard the familiar footsteps clamber closer to him. He turned his head and saw Tohru approach him and sit down right next to him on the roof. She had a nervous, yet serious expression on her face,

"Kyo-kun I have to tell you something,"

she said sincerely and looked him in the eyes. He crossed his legs and turned around to face her,

"What is it?"

Tohru took a deep breath but still maintained the eye contact,

"I want to be more than friends with you."

Kyo's crimson eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat.

"I…"

Tohru's heart beat faster as she awaited his answer. She then saw a small, but rare, smile form on his face and she felt a surge of happiness fill her heart as he said warmly,

"I do too."

Tohru couldn't contain her excitement anymore as she lunged forward and gave him a giant hug. He fell over and felt her body heat fill him for a millisecond before he transformed into a grumpy orange cat. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shigure was sitting at the table when Kyo sat down across from him and said and said in a low voice,

"I need you to do me a favor."

Shigure looked up from the paper that he was looking at and asked,

"What is it?"

Kyo turned red and stared down at the coffee colored table,

"Me... and Tohru are kind of together, so if you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to keep this as a secret. I don't want **Kagura** hunting me or Tohru down, if you know what I mean,"

he grumbled. Shigure chuckled and said in a sing a song voice,

"Tohru and Kyo, kissin' in a tree**.**** K-I-S-S-I-N----"**

Kyo smacked Shigure upside the head before he could finish the wretched song and felt the veins pop up on his forehead. 

"Shut up! Just tell me that you won't tell!"

"I miiigghhhttt,"

said Shigure, with a goofy smile plastered on his face. Kyo felt his hands ball up into tight fists and he took deep breaths and muttered,

"Please..."

Shigure laughed and said,

"Fine, fine, I just like seeing you get so riled up, it's so funny."

Kyo rolled his eyes and then went back up to his room. Shigure watched as he stomped up the steps and smiled knowingly,

_*I **knew** there was always something between Kyo and Tohru ^^*_

**REVIEWS PLEASEE :D THANKS**


	10. Love Hurts

**Thank you for the reviews I hope you're all enjoying this fic.. ^_^**

**ch010 - [Love Hurts]**

       A gentle knock was heard on Kyo's door and he rolled off of his bed grumpily and slid open the door. His usual morning grumpiness was wiped away when he saw Tohru's smiling face in front of him. 

"Hey,"

he said, while rubbing his eyes sleepily. Tohru bowed her head down,

"I'm so sorry for waking you up... I'll come back at a later time if you want,"

she said, embarrassed, and turned around, but he pulled her back by the arm and said gruffly,

"Don't be sorry... so what is it that you came up here for?"

Tohru turned around and put her hands behind her back and said happily,

"I was just wondering if you'd want to see a movie later today... just the two of us."

Kyo was completely awake now, and was sweating like a pig as he clenched his teeth together. 

"Uhhh..."

Tohru looked at him expectantly and felt her hopes soar down to zero as she saw his hesitation. She lowered her head and said sadly,

"It's okay if you don't want to, I completely understand."

That was all the encouragement that he needed. Kyo picked up her chin and said softly,

"I wanna go."

Tohru smiled and then whispered,

"Really?"

Kyo gave her an awkward smile and said,

"Really."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_*Our first **date**... wow*_

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyo and Tohru had just finished watching the movie Tokyo Nights and were walking to a restaurant. Kyo had his hands stuffed in his pocket, still feeling the butterflies in his stomach. 

_*What the hell is wrong with you?! Hold her hand or something!*_

Kyo gulped and glanced at her side profile and took out a sweaty hand from his deep pocket. He shakily reached for her hand that lay vacant by her side, but missed his chance because she stopped in front of a restaurant and spun around to face him.

"Do you want to eat here Kyo-kun? I've never been to one of these kinds of restaurants before."

Kyo looked at what she was talking about and saw that it was one of those restaurants where couples danced. His cheeks flared up when the thought of **dancing** entered his mind.

"Ahh..."

He looked at her face and knew that if he said no, then she'd be disappointed, and he didn't want to do that so he sighed and gave in,

"Alright..."

Tohru clapped her hands together in excitement and he followed her into the restaurant where they were seated at a table with a lily in a vase sitting on the middle of the marble table. 

"Wow, it's so beautifully set up,"

said Tohru in awe as she looked at the sparkling ceiling and the bright lights shining, while the soft violin music played harmoniously in the background. 

After their meal was done Tohru wiped her hands on her napkin and shyly looked at Kyo with a nervous smile, and asked,

"Kyo-kun... do you want to dance?"

Kyo wiped his mouth with a napkin and felt his face flare up into flames. He couldn't do it... he couldn't possibly **dance** in front of her, even the **thought** of it made him nauseous.

"I... I can't dance,"

he muttered and averted his eyes into another direction. Tohru giggled softly and then nodded with understanding,

"It's okay, maybe another time."

They left the restaurant, after paying, and decided to take a walk by the lake. They just sat by the lake and watched the water sparkle with the moon's reflection on it. 

"This has been a great night for me,"

said Tohru breathlessly, while staring up at the twinkling stars that glowed against the midnight sky. Kyo lay down on the soft grass and turned his head in her direction,

"...Me too. To tell you the truth, I've never felt this way before in my life."

Tohru lay down next to him on the grass and rolled over to her side to face him fully and smiled angelically. He rolled over to his side as well so that he was facing her fully too, and they just lay there smiling peacefully, picking at the soft green grass. 

From a far distance, behind an oak tree, Kagura was watching them with tear filled eyes. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tohru and Kyo were walking back to the house and on the way he looked at her lone hand and finally took it in his. She blushed and held onto his hand tightly, not wanting to let go of the feeling. 

After a few minutes they reached the house and he walked her back to her room and gave her a kiss goodnight before she went to sleep. Kyo sighed with content and went up to the roof because he didn't really feel tired just yet. He was still coming down from the high of just **being** with Tohru. He put his arms behind his head and lay on the cold roof tiles with a smile that wouldn't wipe off his face. He then heard footsteps on the roof and turned his head, expecting to see Tohru, but instead he saw Kagura approaching him. He sat up quickly and shot her a stern look,

"What the hell are **_you_** doing up here?"

He looked into her eyes and the anger chipped away when he saw the tears in her eyes. She said in a choked up voice,

"I... I saw you and Tohru together. So are you two dating now?"

Kyo groaned and put his hands to his face and then said bitterly,

"It's none of your business, leave me alone."

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she yelled out hysterically,

"How can you guys be together when you have this **_curse_**? How are you going to be able to**_ hug_**her? How will you ever get **_married_**? Have **_children_**?! How can you be **truly** happy when you can't even **_touch_** her without **worrying** about the **curse?** You're just going to make life **_harder_** for the **_both_** of you! So **_how_**?! **How** can you two be together?!!"

Kyo slammed his fists down onto the roof with all his rage and yelled out as loud as he could,

"SHUT UP!!"

Kagura let out a little gasp and backed away with tears stained cheeks. She stood there for a moment, just gaping at him with an open mouth. He glared at her with his glowing red eyes and she turned her heel and ran off of the roof, leaving Kyo to contemplate on the roof.

_*Damn her! DAMN HER! Why does she have to be **right?!** Who the hell was I kidding, thinking that I could ever be together with a **normal** girl... I can't give Tohru **marriage**, or **children**. We can't have a life together... a **normal** one for that matter...THIS IS **BULLSHIT**.*_

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyo went back downstairs and snuck into Tohru's room quietly. He shook her shoulder lightly and she opened her eyes groggily. She squinted and saw Kyo staring down at her and got up sleepily and asked,

"Is everything okay?"

Kyo took her hands in his and closed his eyes and opened them up again,

"I...need to break up with you."

Tohru's eyes widened in shock and was in complete awe of his sudden behavior,

"W-What?"

Kyo looked pained as he shook his head and said,

"It's not that I don't want to be with you, 'cuz I **do**... but... today I realized that we can't have a **life** together, not with this **curse** that I have. So I vow to get rid of it... and then I'll come back to you as a new person."

Tohru sputtered out, 

"B-but how are you going to get rid of the curse?"

Kyo let go of her hands and got off of her bed and said,

"I don't know... but all I know is that the answer isn't **here**."

Silent tears fell from Tohru's eyes as she whispered,

"I don't want you to leave... please don't go."

Kyo leaned over to her and held her face in his hands and kissed her deeply before heading to the door,

"I'm sorry. But I gotta do this… for me and you."

He pulled the door open but felt a pull on the back of his shirt that held him back. Tohru cried silently and lay her forehead on his back, feeling the hot tears drop down from her chin to the carpeted floor as she clutched his shirt.

"Please...don't go..."

Kyo closed his eyes and walked off without a word. She felt the soft fabric and his warmth vanish from her within seconds, and then she heard the front door slide shut. Tohru leaned on the wall and slid down to the floor, her shoulders shaking as she cried through the night.

**REVIEWS REVIEWSSS :D **


	11. I Miss You

**Thank you for the reviews i can't thank you people enough. and sorry for not updating sooner... well anyway, ENJOY. **

**ch011 - Miss You**

-------------------------------------------------

_It's been too long and I'm lost without you_

_What am I gonna do_

_Said I been needin' you_

_I'm wantin'__ you_

--------------------------------------------------

       Tohru lay on her bed, on top of her fluffy white comforter, chewing on a choclate caramel bar. There was an empty box of chocolates strewn across her messy floor, which was unusual for Tohru since she was always a neat and organized person, but lately she had been out of it. It had been a week after the incident and she was back in her dorm room. She spent most of her free time munching on chocolates all night, crying and wondering where Kyo was. She never got much sleep either and he was always in her dream. She finished her chocolate bar and stared up at the blank white ceiling and sighed, when she realized that she had run out of chocolate. The door suddenly slammed open and Tohru snapped up in her bed to see Uo and Hana standing in the doorway with their hands on their hips. Uo went over to Tohru, followed by Hana, and said pleadingly,

"Tohru-chan! You are getting up right now, you have to! You've been so lifeless for the past few days...and I hate seeing you like this."

Hana nodded along and sat down beside Tohru and took her hand in hers,

"You've got to get over him, because he's not worth it..."

Tohru hugged her knees to her chest and felt a lone tear slide down the side of her face,

"But I miss him so much, and I just want him to come back... and ... and the worst part is, I didn't even get to say a goodbye before he left, this is just like with mother... I'm a horrible person."

Tohru began to sob in her hands and Hana and Uo both gave her a big  hug. 

"But Kyo will come back... he promised right? So don't worry about him."

Tohru wiped away her tears and gave them her best shaky smile and said,

"Thank you for being here with me..."

"What else are friends for?"

----------------------------

_Wonderin' if you're the same_

_and__ who's been with you_

_Is you're heart still mine_

_I want to cry sometimes_

_I miss you_

---------------------------------

Kyo was sitting on the rumbling bus and stared outside at the scenery that passed by him in a matter of seconds. He yawned and finally tore his eyes from the boring scene of trees whizzing by outside and faced forward, studying the patterns of the back of the beat up bus chair. He sighed in frustration and stuffed his hands into the pocket of his jacket and suddenly felt a warm fabric graze his fingertips. His eyebrows knitted together and he pulled out the mystery fabric from his left jacket pocket. It turned out that it was the scarf that Tohru had given to him on his birthday. He stared at the balled up orange fabric in his left hand and tightened his grip around the soft material. Memories of her face rushed into his mind, he had promised not to think about her, but how could he not? He slowly unraveled the bright orange scarf and admired it by holding it out at arms length. He then realized that at the edge of the scarf there was his name embedded on it and he smiled. He then wrapped the scarf around his neck and continued to stare outside of the bus window. Where he was going? He still had no idea. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tohru was sitting by the lake nearby the college, her mind filled with thoughts of Kyo. She had tried hard to get him out of her head, but she just couldn't... he meant too much to her. 

_*I wonder if he's thinking about me too? I hope he's feeling alright...*_

----------------------------------------------------

_Now you're gone_

_And I'm lost without you here now_

_But I know I gotta live and make it somehow_

-----------------------------------------------------

Kyo woke up drowsily and found himself being shook by an angry obese man with a dark brown beard. 

"Yo, kid, this is the last stop!"

Kyo jumped up and saw that the bus was completely deserted. He gulped and started to panic a little,

_*Damn! I overslept... i'm such an idiot.*_

Kyo muttered an apology to the angered bus driver and grabbed his belongings before rushing off of the bus. He looked around and didn't recognize where the hell he was. He sighed and looked at the sky which was dark by now, it had reached nightfall and he had nowhere to go. He strapped on his little backpack and slugged through the streets slowly.

-------------------------------------

_Now I'm sittin' here_

_Thinkin' 'bout you_

_And the days we used to share_

_It's drivin' me crazy_

_I don't know what to do..._

_Do you understand me?_

_I can't do a thing without you_

****

**_I miss you... _**

**_-Aaliyah_**

--------------------------------

Kyo's thoughts were interrupted when he saw a bunch of men chasing after an old lady. His eyes widened and he felt his anger cloud over him as he chased after the men, as if on instinct. 

The gang had cornered the old lady into an alley and one of them was holding a knife and said in a threatening voice,

"Now granny, you better give me what I want or you're gonna hafta die."

The old lady cowered into the corner and just stood there, staring back at the burly man without saying a word. The burly man looked at his gang members and with a growl he lifted his arm to stab her, but a foot kicked the burly man straight in the head. The man grunted and was knocked to the ground. The old lady gaped in shock as she saw an orange haired boy with a fire colored scarf standing in front of her. His crimson eyes were full of anger as he whipped around to see the angry burly man standing up again. Kyo jump kicked him and then that was when the rest of the gang started to run at him. Kyo grabbed the old lady's hand and yelled out, 

"C'mon! We gotta get outta here!"

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tohru was up at midnight and propped her elbows on top of her bed and closed her eyes saying a little prayer. 

_*Okaa-san, I'm so worried right now... I just want him to come back home soon, I know it is selfish of me but I can't help but want to hear his voice again, and hear him say my name again. Oh please let him come back soon.*_

Once she was finished her prayer she looked straight out at the full moon that was glowing outside of her window and then she climbed into bed with tears glistening in her eyes.

**REVIEWWS PLEEASSE ^___^ thanks, i shall continue soon ;] **

****


	12. I Wish

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS, I ALWAYS FEEL SO HAPPY WHEN I GET THEM ^____^ THANK YOU THANK YOU.**

Note to **Ryoko**** Maxwell3** and **Akira-san**: to use bold and italics, go to microsoft word and type your story like how you usually would, but this time save as type webpage and not word document and then the bolds and italics will show up ^__^ I hope that helped.

**ch012 - [ I Wish... ]**

     Kyo picked up the old lady and jumped out of the mob that surrounded him. Once he had escaped their circle he ran as fast as he could into any direction that was away from the gang that was chasing after them. He jumped over railings, cars, and finally stopped at another alleyway. He was breathing heavily and placed the old lady down against the brick wall. Her breathing rate had gone back to a normal pace and she opened her eyes to meet his crimson orbs of fire. 

"Th-Thank you young boy..."

she said to him with a voice just above a whisper. Kyo just gave her a little smirk and shrugged it off,

"It was nothing, I just hate guys like those, they piss me off."

Kyo waited a while before asking,

"So why were those guys after you?"

The old lady's eyes went blank for a while and then she looked down at her lap,

"I'm not ordinary that's why."

Kyo's eyebrows knit together in confusion as he waited for her to continue her explanation. She looked up at him with her sea green eyes, and then said to him,

"What I mean is, I'm not normal...I... I'm able to make people's wishes come true."

Kyo stared at her with a raised eyebrow and then burst out into a fit of laughter,

"You have** got** to be kiddin'! That is the **dumbest** thing I've ever heard."

The old lady looked down at her hands and shook her head with a serious look on her face as she said to him with full sincerity,

"It's true. I can give someone **one** wish and that's it,"

Kyo's smile was wiped off of his face as he heard the sincerity in her voice and he asked in shock,

"You're not kiddin' are you..."

The old lady shook her head slowly and then rasied her head slightly to give him a toothless smile. She slowly got to her feet and wiped off the seat of her pants. 

_*Damn... I have a bad feeling that those assholes are gonna come back for her now, this lady isn't safe.*_

"Oy, those guys are gonna be after you again right?"

The old lady froze and her eyes flitted to the direction of the dirty pavement as she said in a soft voice,

"I suppose..."

"Aren't you scared?"

"To death."

Kyo bit his bottom lip and then sighed,

"Look, how about this, I'll stick by you... and... be your bodyguard."

The old lady's eyes brightened up and he saw her lips turn up into a smile. 

"Really?!"

Kyo nodded and gave her a smile,

"Yea, just as long as you would give me a place to stay."

The old lady chuckled in return and then said,

"It's a deal. C'mon, my apartment is this way."

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The old lady opened the door to a dark apartment room and flicked open the lights. The apartment was very clean and it had many books and paintings, a typical elderly looking house. She hung her purse on a coat rack and then gestured him to the couch. 

"I'm sorry but I only have one room so you'll have to sleep on the couch, if you don't mind."

Kyo shook his head, yawned and muttered,

"I don't mind... and thanks...umm... well goodnight Mrs..."

"Call me Sakura."

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_A month or two passed and Kyo and Sakura grew to have more of a motherly and son bond as days went by. Kyo spent each day protecting her like he had said he would and she let him stay at her place like she had said she would. However, one morning while they were taking a walk to the grocery store, something unexpected happened...something that wasn't able to be protected from._

While in the middle of walking to the store Sakura gasped and clutched her heart, her eyes went wide in pain and Kyo grabbed hold of her before she keeled over. 

"Shit!! Are you alright?!!"

Her eyes were wide with fright and her hand was clutched against the middle of her chest. She gasped for air desperately while clutching Kyo's wrist as if holding on for her life. Kyo saw her face go white and he felt fear balloon up inside of him and he screamed out,

"Hold on, I'll get you to a hospital!"

Kyo lifted her into his arms and pushed through the crowd of people that had began to gather around them. Luckily, he spotted a hospital a block away and once he reached the hospital, he kicked open the doors and screamed out,

"I need help in here, NOW!"

Nurses and doctors all looked up and once they caught sight of the panicked boy and the dying woman, they all rushed to his aid and put Sakura onto a white stretcher. Then they quickly wheeled her into the emergency room, with Kyo trailing closely behind. A doctor stood in front of the door for the emergency room, blocking Kyo's way, and said,

"I'm sorry son, but you can't go in here, please wait in the waiting room. She will be fine, I assure you."

Kyo felt rage and sadness fill his body as he punched the wall with all his might. He felt burning tears spill out of the corner of his eyes as he angrily stormed into the waiting room like a child. He slumped down into the nearest chair. He then looked down at his shaking hands and felt himself gulp with fear.

_*I've lost so much already...I can't bear to lose one more person. Don't die Sakura. Don't die...*_

He squeezed his eyes shut and put his hands together, praying that she would live, he didn't want to lose anyone else that he cared about, he had experienced enough of that in his past. After what seemed to be hours later, a doctor came out with a blank expression on his face. Kyo instantly popped out of his seat and went over to the doctor, asking in a hopeful voice,

"How is she?"

The doctor's eyes betrayed a shed of sadness and Kyo could tell that he was about to get hit with bad news. 

"I'm sorry...b-"

Kyo felt his knees tremor furiously and he coudn't hear another word, all he could hear was the words I'm sorry, repeat in his head over and over again like a broken record. He screamed with anguish and pushed the poor doctor out of his way and ran down the corridor of the hospital until he reached the door with Sakura in it. He pushed open the door and felt the tears slip down the side of his face as he slowly inched towards her unmoving body. When he reached her bedside he sat down next to her on the wooden stool adjacent to the bed. He took her hand in his and held onto it tightly in his, letting his hot tears soak her wrinkled hands. He begged in between sobs,

"Please... say something...don't die. Please....Please just tell me everything's gonna be alright."

He felt her fingers twitch for a second and he gasped at her sudden movement and watched with hopeful eyes. That's when he saw her eyes open weakly, and he could feel his happiness bouncing in every direction of his body. She held onto his hand weakly and said in a scratchy voice,

"K..Ky..o......"

Kyo felt more tears spring forth from his eyes as he watched the dying woman strain to speak.

"Save you breath..."

He saw a lone tear slip down the side of her eye and onto the light blue pillowcase that her head lay lightly on top of. Kyo squeezed her hand in his and then his eyes brightened up when he thought of a great idea to save her,

"Sakura... I want to make my one wish, and I wanna wish for you to be healthy again."

He saw her lips form into a shaky smile, but she shook her head and said with tearful eyes,

"It's...m..y... time...and you can't mess...wi..th...the..natural...way of..th...ings. Look..you've been....l..ike... a son to...me... and I ...want to t..thank you."

Kyo grasped her hand tightly and whispered softly,

"and you've been like a mother to me..."

Fresh tears slid down the sides of her eyes and she requested weakly,

"Before I go...I want you...to ... make ...a...wish....."

**TO BE CONTINUED **

*** I couldnt think of a good way to end this chapter so just live with this one lols ***

**reviews**** pleasee! hehes thanks**


	13. Special

**A/N: This shall be the last chapter to this story so please enjoy this final chapter… and thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Lots and _lots_ of love 3**

**ch012 - [ Special  ]**

_Japanese lesson_

_Okaa__-san - Mother_

_:]_

     Kyo looked through the glass windows of the jewelry store and examined the sparkling diamond rings that shined so brightly on display. He stared at them for a moment longer before walking into the jewelry store.

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_Meanwhile at Tohru's dormroom...___

     Uo and Hana were sitting in Tohru's room with smiles pasted on their faces as they were ready to tell her the great news that they had in store for her. Uo could barely contain her excitement as she bounced on her bed and said,

"Guess what,"

Tohru gave both of them a questionable stare and then asked,

"What is it?"

Uo and Hana looked at each other from across the room with laughter in their eyes, and then Hana spoke up,

"We found a date for you."

Tohru's head fell to the soft cushions of the bed when she thought about another blind date. Tohru flushed a royal color of red and said in a stuttery voice,

"Um....I-I'm not so sure about this..."

Uo clapped her hands together and went down on her knees, with her hands still clasped together as if she were praying. She then begged,

"Oh please Tohru-chan, it'd mean so much to us if you went! Please go? We want to see you happy."

Tohru bit her bottom lip and looked up at their pleading faces. She sighed because she knew that there was no way she could ever refuse,

"Fine, I'll go... but what is this guy's name?"

Uo and Hana smirked at each other and said together,

"It's a secret."

Uo and Hana giggled and then told her to trust them and meet him at the lake tonight at 8pm. When they both left her room she sighed and closed her heavy eyelids.

_*Will I ever see you?*_

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Tohru walked down the silver pavement under the pale moonlight and stopped when she got to the sparkling lake. She saw a shadowy figure leaning against the tree and opened her mouth to say hello. However, when she saw the glimpse of the orange scarf and fire colored hair, she lost her words and just gawked at the shadowy back leaning against the oak tree. A familiar face turned around and smirked at her when he heard a small gasp behind him. She put her hands over her mouth from all the shock that she was experiencing. 

"Oy..."

he said casually, raising a hand in the air. Tohru felt tears fill her eyes as her mouth opened and closed from all the emotions. One tear escaped her eyelid and slid down her milk white face as she lunged into his arms. The heat of his body coursed through her body and she held onto him for more than a few seconds, realizing that he had really gotten rid of the curse. She could feel the heat of his body and she could hear his heart beat faster and faster...

_*H-He's not changing!!*_

She looked up at his face and asked breathlessly,

"Is this a dream?"

Kyo smiled and stroked her hair gently then said,

"If it is, don't pinch me."

She smiled at him and lay her head back on top of his chest, breathing in the scent of Kyo. She then asked,

"But how?"

Kyo closed his eyes and stroked her chestnut strands gently,

"It's a long story...but all that matters right now is that I'm here with you and that the curse is now gone... forever."

She closed her eyes and cried in his chest from all the joy and excitement that she was now feeling. He reached his hand into his back pocket and took out a velvet red box and whispered,

"I have something for you."

Tohru's eyes widened in surprise and she got out of the embrace to look him straight in the eyes.

"What is it?"

He held out a velvet box and blushed furiously as her ocean colored eyes sparkled with pure excitement.

"Kyo-kun...you didn't have to,"

Kyo's face was now completely red as he went down on one knee. Tohru felt every part of her body freeze as she saw him go down on one knee. She gasped and felt more tears drop down. Time froze.

"Will... you marry me?!"

Kyo held out the ring bashfully and her eyes were as wide as saucers as she saw the sparkling diamond ring before her.

"......."

Fresh tears sparkled in her eyes and she cried out happily.

"Yes! Yes i will!"

Tohru bent down and hugged him before he could place the ring on her finger. Her joy was going overload when she thought of being his**_ bride._**

_*Okaa-san.... I'm getting **married!***_

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The music from the violin fluttered through the garden. Kyo was standing at the altar with the priest and the whole Sohma family, including Uo and Hana, were standing on the aisle with happy faces. Tohru took a deep breath and walked slowly down the aisle with a beautiful, flowing white dress with satin sequins on the seams. She held a bouquet of pink tulips in her hands as she walked happily down the aisle on her wedding day. She couldn't stop smiling at the man that was watching her every step and every moment as she drew slowly closer to him. He smiled and thought to himself,

_*She's so beautiful...I think I'm the luckiest man alive.*_

Tohru looked around and saw Shigure give her the thumbs up, and she saw Yuki give her a soft smile that made her smile back. She then caught Kagura's eye and saw that she was smiling too...Tohru felt her grin widen as she finally reached the altar and looked up at the sky, smiling up at one more person.

_*Okaa - san, this is the most special moment of my life, I hope you're watching up there in heaven...* _

**THE END**

**Well thats the end of this story.. wheeww!!! FINALLY !! haahs :] i'm thinking of writing a different story... i guess we'll just have to wait and see. ^____^ LOVE AND PEACE BABY. hahas**

***reviews would be greatly appreciated. THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS THANKS. :D**


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